ARTICLES
BURNT TOAST
BURNT TOAST
One day my mother prepared a meal after a busy work day. She placed a jar of jam and a very burnt toast in front of my father.
I was watching to see if my father noticed the burnt bread. However, he just ate it and asked me how my day was. I don’t remember what I told him, but at that moment my mother apologized for the burnt bread.
I will never forget my father’s answer: “Honey, I love burnt toast!” Later, when I went to bed, I asked my father if he really liked burnt bread.
He hugged me and whispered: “Your mother had had a long and hard day and she was really tired. A burnt toast can’t hurt anyone, but our words can.’’
ARTICLES
Whose Leash are they Holding?
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ
When they are told, “Do not spread corruption in the land,” they reply,
“We are only peace-makers!”
Al-Baqarah 2:11
أَلَآ إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا يَشْعُرُونَ
Indeed, it is they who are the corruptors, but they fail to perceive
it
Al-Baqarah 2:12
The appearance of Dajjal is close by and Rasulullah ﷺ taught us of that time which will come to pass, and Allah knows best the exact time and location.
As Shepherds of our flock, we must educate our families on the arrival of Dajjal and how Rasulullah ﷺ has taught us to prepare for that eventuality. It’s absolutely key and pivotal that this preparation is cemented in the ummah.
Do not be fooled with what has been showcased and highlighted in the last 24 hours on our TV screens and the ticker tocker world.
Seek the wider picture and find the story behind the story. The front headlines are simply that, a front, sections of the Believers are working, hand in hand with the Unbelievers to deceive the world and the greatest deceiver is yet to arrive.
In which era of War does an enemy allow time for its opponent to prepare in advance for an imminent attack?
Yes, finally somebody stood up to the tyrant, the oppressor, we should ask ourselves, did Rasulullah ﷺ tell the Quraish where they would be positioned before Badr?
Where the Sahaba were placed before Uhud?
Was a message sent to Abu Süfyan where the Khandaq would be built?
They will continue to condemn every Believer who speaks the truth and Haqq but will not echo any sentiment when the tyrant pushes the boundaries.
We must prepare our children and future generations of what is coming down the road, do not lose hope as Allah has promised the victory, and the limits of the tyrants and oppressors is reaching that line where there is no return.
We may not have an army today, as the duniya has deceived us, but let’s at least prepare a future generation that will bring back nobility and honour to the Believers.
In the end, you will either be a Believer or Unbeliever.
And Allah knows best.
”Written By: Imran Ahmed”
ARTICLES
A BEAUTIFUL LOVE WITH LUNARIA
The state of the elderly couple in their eighties, in the courtroom was heartbreaking. The man, stubbornly, was examining the silent old woman’s exhausted eyes, which were deeply hollowed from crying. The judge said to the old woman with a rich voice:
– Tell us, aunt, why do you want a divorce?
After taking a deep breath, the old woman held her headscarf and began to speak in a hoarse voice.
– Enough of what this man did to me! For fifty years, he has sickened me… I want a divorce.
Then a long silence prevailed in the courtroom… One of the journalists who made such news headlines every day broke the silence by taking a picture. Who knows what kind of headlines they’d make for a 50-year relationship? Many journalists were watching the case… What was she going to say? Everyone was listening to her. The old woman’s eyes were filled with tears and she continued to speak:
– We had a lunaria that I loved very much… He wouldn’t remember… It happened 50 years ago. I grew that flower by seedling a leaf that I plucked from the flowers he gave me. We didn’t have a baby so I saw them as my babies. After a while, the flower started to dry. That’s when I took a vow. I said that I would water it with a bowl of water every night before the sun came up… They said it would be good for it. It’s been 50 years, and this guy hasn’t gotten up and watered the flower even once. Until the other night… That night, I fell asleep out of fatigue… This is the man I’ve spent 50 years with. I put my life, my hope, everything in him. I didn’t get anything from him. All I wanted was for him to get up for once and water my flower… But he didn’t. I’m better off without him, I swear.
The judge turned to the old man and said:
– What do you have to say about it, father?
The old man went to the stand with a cane, with a shy expression of being accused, and turned to the judge. He spoke one by one:
– I served as a gardener in the Presidency Mansion. I worked hard to flourish that garden in a glorious way. That’s where I met my Fadime. And pearls… I gave her bouquets of the most beautiful flowers. At the beginning of our marriage, I took her to the doctor because her neck was hurting. The physician said that if she sleeps without waking up for a long time, she’ll suffer arthritis of the neck and her condition will deteriorate. He said that she should interrupt her sleep every night and walk around. She didn’t listen much to the physician… She didn’t listen to me either… What a coincidence, the flower started to dry back then. I told her, “If you water the flower at night, it will come alive again.” She took a vow… I woke her up every night and I watched her. I watched the woman I love watering the flowers as if they are her children. Every night I felt like I was that flower… I got up every night after she slept. I emptied the water in the pot. Lunaria does not like to be watered at night, Your Honor… And the other night… Aging… I couldn’t wake up either. I couldn’t wake her up… The flower would have been dehydrated, but my woman’s neck pain would have gone bad again. I was accused… I couldn’t say anything… It’s your call, Your Honor.
At that moment, everyone in the courtroom, including journalists, was left in tears…
ARTICLES
VAN GOGH AND FAITH
I won’t bore you with a biographical introduction like who Vincent Van Gogh is, when he was born or when he died. If you are able to read this article, you have internet connection. You can find this information online. Show some effort.
I’ll try to explain something else about Van Gogh as well as I can. Faithlessness…
Let’s get straight to the point before going into history. Our famous painter… He might be famous now but he was a poor man back then. Isn’t it always like this anyway? Everything becomes more valuable when they are gone, including people… Anyway… This poor painter painted a painting called Prisoners Exercising (Prisoners’ Round). Have your tea and coffee before we review the picture below. This matter is deep, you will need time to understand it.
![Prisoners Exercising (Prisoners' Round)](https://kayifamilytv.com/wp-content/uploads/Prisoners-Exercising-171x240.jpg)
Prisoners Exercising (Prisoners’ Round)
Our guy Van Gogh painted this painting after he cut off his ear. He had been through so much. Who knows what kinds of problems he had. When a person is feeling lost, he can cut off his ear, or leg.
This guy is spinning around in a vortex of pessimism like a snake eating its tail, with 37 prisoners. Right there, right in the middle, there is someone looking at us. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Superman! Of course not, this is none other than Van Gogh himself.
![Van Gogh - Prisoners Exercising (Prisoners' Round)](https://kayifamilytv.com/wp-content/uploads/Van-Gogh-Prisoners-Exercising-Prisoners-Round-253x240.jpg)
Van Gogh – Prisoners Exercising
Van Gogh is saying, “I have entered a vortex, pessimism has taken over me, I am aware of everything, I will never be free”. Would putting a man who is trapped inside, between four walls make a difference?
Yes, Van Gogh was aware of everything when he painted this painting. Just because he was in a mental institution did not mean he was crazy. Besides, there are more lunatics out there. Sane people are in mental institutions. He is looking at us so beautifully, he is aware of everything but he knows he cannot change anything. I don’t know if he also knew that this situation led him into an irresistible depression… All I know is how sad the result was when the most important element of such a genius was missing. What is this important element? Faith…
When you look carefully at the wall, you will see white butterflies symbolizing hope.
He has some hope or his hopes are trapped inside these high walls. Van Gogh ended his life some time after painting this painting. Yes, unfortunately, he committed suicide, so we cannot pray for his soul but we can learn important lessons. When Van Gogh went from this mortal life to eternal life in the worst possible way, he was 37. Wait a minute, did you say 37? There are also 37 people in the painting? 37 prisoners, symbolizing 37 years. These paintings may be worth millions of dollars today. When this poor man was alive, he could only sell one painting in the -in his own words- ”37 years of his life in which he was a prisoner”. For very cheap, too.
In a letter to his brother Theo, he says: “I cannot take it, Theo! I can’t stand how hard this life is. I’m painting all the time to forget, but I can’t! I can’t find a cure for the never-ending whispers and screams in my ear. I can’t resist it and I’m afraid of hurting myself.” The original is given below.
![Van Gogh's letter to his brother Theo](https://kayifamilytv.com/wp-content/uploads/Van-Goghs-letter-to-his-brother-Theo-323x240.jpg)
Van Gogh’s letter to his brother Theo
Oh, you poor guy. You are aware of everything but lack of one element took you away from us. If faithlessness captures a body, the end is always a disappointment, even if the mind that body carries is at the level of genius. Believing is in human nature. The Creator created people in the most beautiful way, even the phrase “the most beautiful” is not enough to explain it. A person cannot live without faith, even if they do, they live a life like Van Gogh, feeling trapped.
I’ve only used the word “faith” so far. It’s your business what you believe in. But believing is in human nature, the important thing is ”how”. What do you believe in and “how” do you cherish this belief? If you put 37 “supposedly unbelieving” people on a plane and the plane starts falling from 37,000 feet, 37 of them would believe in something before they are 33,000 feet high, I’m not necessarily talking about the belief “Allah” is “Absolute Power“, I’m talking about belief and faith itself: Some of these 37 people would believe in the plane at that moment, some would believe in the Sun. Some can even believe in an ox and some of them would believe in the seat they are sitting on. The important thing is what you believe in and how. No matter how smart and successful you are, you are DOOMED to live like a ”prisoner” until you have faith truly!